Worldwide cash vendor payment

ABSTRACT

According to the invention, a method for paying for an item with an online payment system by a payor associated with a first currency to compensate a payee associated with a second currency is disclosed. In one step, a selection of the second currency for the online payment system to use when paying the payee is received. Payment information is also received from the payor or the payee and includes at least a payee identifier and a first payment amount. A money handler associated with the payor is used to provide at least the first payment amount. A conversion ratio between the first and second currencies is determined. A second payment amount is made available to the payee for pickup at a retail location. The first currency is different from the second currency. The second payment amount is related to the first payment amount.

[0001] This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent Ser.No. 10/109,559 filed on Mar. 27, 2002, which is incorporated byreference in its entirety.

[0002] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.______, filed on the same date as the present application, entitled“MERCHANT CASH PAYMENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS” (temporarily referenced byAttorney Docket No. 20375-031600), which is incorporated by reference inits entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] This invention relates in general to online payment systems and,more specifically, to Internet-based payment systems that use negotiableinstruments for payments to non-merchant parties such as individuals.

[0004] There are online systems that allow paying parties that may nothave a merchant account with a credit card company or bank. Further,some parties do not even have a personal bank account to accept paymentinto. In these situations, a money order may be used to pay formerchandise, services or to otherwise send money. There are systems thatautomate the process of sending money orders through use of an onlinesystem where a payor can have a money order generated and mailed to thepayee. A bank account or credit card is used by the online system tofund the money order and pay any service fees. These online systems arecommonly used to pay for online auction transactions where the buyer andseller may not be in the same city or country.

[0005] Where the payee is in a country using a different currency,cashing a foreign money order is problematic. Although money exchangesand banks can cash a foreign money order, the exchange rate may beunfavorable and service fees may be added to the transaction. Further, aforeign bank cashing the money order may place a hold on theavailability of the funds until they clear, which can take months. Wherethe money order is in payment for an auction, the fees and other costsdeducted from the payment limit the profit on the auction. Theseimpediments to commerce serve to impede transactions in differentcurrencies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] The present invention is described in conjunction with theappended figures:

[0007]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an internationalpayment system;

[0008]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an online transfersystem;

[0009]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a payment enabler;

[0010]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an auction site;

[0011]FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a retail payoutsystem;

[0012]FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a retail location;

[0013]FIG. 7A is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a process fortransferring funds to a payee with a negotiable instrument or a creditredeemable at a retail location;

[0014]FIG. 7B is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a process fortransferring funds to a payee where the payout may be aggregated until atriggering event;

[0015]FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a process forinitiating payment with the payment enabler; and

[0016]FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a process forconfiguring a user with an account for the payment enabler.

[0017] In the appended figures, similar components and/or features mayhave the same reference label. Further, various components of the sametype may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash anda second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If onlythe first reference label is used in the specification, the descriptionis applicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0018] The ensuing description provides preferred exemplaryembodiment(s) only, and is not intended to limit the scope,applicability or configuration of the invention. Rather, the ensuingdescription of the preferred exemplary embodiment(s) will provide thoseskilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing apreferred exemplary embodiment of the invention. It being understoodthat various changes may be made in the function and arrangement ofelements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asset forth in the appended claims.

[0019] The present invention provides for paying sellers with cash or anegotiable instrument, such as a money order, even though the seller maywant payment in a foreign currency and/or drawn on a foreign bank.

[0020] In one embodiment, a method for paying for an item with an onlinepayment system by a payor associated with a first currency to compensatea payee associated with a second currency is disclosed. In one step, aselection of the second currency for the online payment system to usewhen paying the payee is received. Payment information is also receivedfrom the payor or payee and includes at least a payee identifier and afirst payment amount. A money handler associated with the payor is usedto provide at least the first payment amount. A conversion ratio betweenthe first and second currencies is determined. A second payment amountis made available to the payee for pickup at a retail location. Thefirst currency is different from the second currency. The second paymentamount is related to the first payment amount.

[0021] In another embodiment, a method for paying for items with anonline payment system to compensate a payee for transactions with aplurality of payors is disclosed. In one step, a selection of a paymentcurrency for the online payment system to use in paying the payee isreceived. First payment information is also received. The first paymentinformation includes a first payee identifier and a first paymentamount. A first money handler associated a first payor is debited for atleast the first payment amount in a first currency. Second paymentinformation is received. The second payment information includes asecond payee identifier and a second payment amount. The first payeeidentifier and second payee identifier both correspond to the payee andmay be the same. A second money handler associated a second payor isdebited for at least the second payment amount in a second currency. Thefirst and second money handlers may be the same. It is determined if atriggering event is satisfied, where the event is at least one of anmonetary event and a temporal event. An amount is made available in acurrency at one or more retail locations when the event is satisfied.The amount is equal to or larger than a sum of the first and secondpayment amounts minus any fees. At least two of the currency, the firstcurrency and the second currency are different. An identity of the payeeis authenticated.

[0022] In yet another embodiment, a method for paying for an auctionitem with an online payment system by a payor associated with a firstcurrency to compensate a payee associated with a second currency isdisclosed. In one step, payment information is received, which includesat least a payee identifier, a first payment amount and an auctionlisting identifier. A money handler associated with the payor is debitedfor at least the first payment amount. A second payment amount is madeavailable to the payee for pickup at one or more retail locations. Thesecond payment amount is related to the first payment amount.

[0023] Referring first to FIG. 1, a block diagram of an embodiment of aninternational payment system 100 is shown. In this embodiment of thepayment system 100, a payor 100 and a payee 130 interact with an onlinetransfer system 190 using either a computer 120 and the Internet 150 ora phone 109 and the plain old telephone system (POTS) 155. The payee 130may also interact with a retail location 107 to retrieve fundsoriginating from the payor 110.

[0024] The payor and payee 110, 130 can access the online transfersystem 190 using their computers 120 or phones 140 in this embodiment.When accessing through their computers 120, a web browser is used inthis embodiment. Other embodiments could use application software toaccess the online transfer system 190. For those without access to acomputer 120, a phone 140 could be used with voice prompts, touch tonerecognition and/or speech recognition to interact with the onlinetransfer system 190. Other embodiments may provide have fewer or moreinterfaces to the online transfer system 190.

[0025] The online transfer system 190 can produce a negotiable orpayment instrument to transfer money from the payor 110 to the payee130. Types of negotiable instruments include: a money order, a cashierscheck, a certified check, a travelers check, a bank check, a bank draft,a tellers check, a gift certificate, and/or check. The negotiableinstrument is mailed, couriered, or otherwise sent to the payee 130, ormade available for pick-up by the payee 130 at a bank or retail location107. Once the payee 130 obtains the negotiable instrument, it may becashed in the traditional way at a bank. The negotiable instrument canbe any number of currencies that are drawn on any number of banks havingdifferent nationalities. With a choice of currency and nationality ofthe negotiable instrument, the payee 130 has more options when cashingthat instrument.

[0026] The online transfer system 190 can make funds available at one ormore retail locations 107 for pickup by the payee 130. Those funds canbe disbursed at the retail location 107 as cash, negotiable instrument,credit to a debit or credit card, a money order, promotional points, acoupon, or any other money substitute. The online transfer system 190interacts with the retail payout system 103 to indicate how much fundsshould be available to one or more payees. The online funds transfersystem 190 could indicate to the retail payout system each time a newpayment should be made available or could accumulate many payoutinstructions for transmission in bulk. Those bulk transmission couldoccur at a set periodicity or when a monetary and/or transaction countthreshold is met.

[0027] The retail payout system 103 is system that manages some payoutsavailable at retail locations 107. A commercially available service likeQuick Cash™ available from Western Union™ (available from WU.com) couldbe used in the retail payout system 103 and retail locations 107. Thepayment enabler 170 or other party can have a dedicated link, a per-uselogin and/or a file transfer connection with the retail payout system103. The amount to make available and currency is passed to the retailpayout system 103. Also, the identity of the payee 130 and anyauthentication information is passed to the retail payout system 103.Authentication information could include a password, pass phrase, testquestion, obscure personal information and/or other code. Identity cardscould also be used for authentication. An exchange rate and fee could beset by the payment enabler 170 at the time of availability or when thepayee 130 claims the funds.

[0028] Retail locations 107 are store fronts that provide transferredmoney and other services. These retail locations 107 could also cashchecks, provide banking services, payday loans, etc. Various retaillocations 107 may provide negotiable instruments and/or cash as possiblepayout options. Some retail locations 107 could mail the negotiableinstrument to the payees 130. The payee 130 could be limited toreceiving their payout from one or more retail locations 107. Otherretail locations 107 could provide the payout for additional fees. 1291The online transfer system 190 includes payin handlers 160, a paymentenabler 170, and user interfaces 180. The payin handlers 160 allowcompensating the payment enabler 170 for the negotiable instrument orcash payout and any associated fees. The payor configures one or morepayin handlers 160 such that the payment enabler 170 can automaticallytransfer in funds. Some embodiments retain the information forinterfacing to the payor's account with a payin handler 160 while otherembodiments do not. There are national banks are the drawees for thenegotiable instruments issued to payees 130 if the negotiable instrumentpayout option is chosen. These national banks serve each currency and/orjurisdiction. For example, there may be a Swiss bank that issues moneyorders in Euros, there may be another Swiss bank that issues moneyorders in Swiss francs, or there may be a French bank that issues moneyorders in Euros. Typically, the payee wants a negotiable instrumentissued by a bank in their country that uses the currency of thatcountry.

[0029] The user interfaces 180 accommodate the different methods thepayors and payees 110, 130 use to interface with the payment enabler170. In this embodiment, an Internet interface 180 is provided thatincludes web pages for users to interact with along with a phoneinterface. As will be discussed below, other embodiments could haveadditional interfaces 180.

[0030] In this embodiment, the transaction is related to an auctionperformed at an auction site 109. The payor 110 is a buyer of an auctionitem sold by the payee 130. The payment enabler 170 can link to theauction site 109 to gather auction information such as a description, anauction identifier, item cost, shipping and handling costs, insurancecosts, and payee and payor information. The payee and payor 110, 130 mayprovide login information to the payment enabler 170 to allow accessingthis information. Some embodiments could use the international paymentsystem 100 to pay for items other than auction items. For example, thepayment system 100 could be used to pay for goods available at anoff-line auction or retail store, an online store, or other payment forgoods and/or services. Alternatively, the payment system 100 could beused to send money internationally using a online interface.

[0031] With reference to FIG. 2, a block diagram of an embodiment of anonline transfer system 190 is shown. In this embodiment, there are sixhandlers 160 and five user interfaces 180. Other embodiments could havemore or less handlers 160 and interfaces 180. Each of the handlers 160allows a payor add money from the payment enabler 170. In some cases,the handlers 160 can accept money from a payout. The user interfaces 180allow interaction with the payment enabler 170 to transfer money to astored value fund that is used for the transfer. Some embodiments do notuse a stored value fund in the online transfer system 190 bytransferring funds directly to the retail payout system 103 which couldimmediately issue a negotiable instrument or hold the funds in a storedvalue fund for a later issuance of negotiable instrument or pick-up ofcash at a retail location 107.

[0032] The promotion handler 160-1 allows adding money in a form otherthan legal tender or a negotiable instrument. Examples include airlinemileage programs and prepaid phone cards. For example, a user could useairline miles at a given exchange rate to send cash to a payee 130 usingan airline mileage handler 160-1. A conversion rate would be applied toconvert the mileage credit into money. The promotion handler 160-1 mayneed special information from the payment enabler 170, such as thesender's 110 promotion account number, etc. Some of the interfaces 180used to gain access to the payment enabler 170 could be used to alsogain access to the auction site 140 to allow participation in anauction.

[0033] The credit and debit card handlers 160-2, 160-3 largely behavethe same. Both can be used to add money into the payment enabler 170. Inother embodiments, these handlers 160-2, 160-3 can also be used toremove money from the payment enabler 170 also, for example, to purchasea prepaid credit/debit card, to pay down a balance on a credit card, orto add credit to a bank account associated with a debit card. To usethese handlers 160-2, 160-3, the payment enabler 170 stores theinformation for receiving money from credit or debit cards in theconventional way, such as the account number, expiration date, name,and/or PIN. Similar information may be used when paying-out money to acredit/debit card.

[0034] The bank handler 160-4 allows electronic funds transfer (EFT) ofmoney from a bank account of the user. The user enters the accountnumber and routing information into the payment enabler 170 with a userinterface 180 to facilitate adding and removing of money from the bankhandler 160-4. In one embodiment, an automated teller machine (ATM)could incorporate the bank handler 160-4 along with an ATM interface180-1 to allow adding and removing funds along with interfacing with thepayment enabler 170. Another embodiment uses a bank handler 160-4 branchlocation as a retail interface 180-4 for interacting with the paymentenabler 170. Some embodiments could wire money out of a bank account ofthe user instead of an EFT or could use ACH for the transfer.

[0035] The retail handler 160-5 typically corresponds to a retaillocation 107 that may wire money, payout cash, print money orders and/orcash checks. Money may be sent to the retail handler 160-5, whereafterthe user 130 is issued cash or a negotiable instrument for that money.Money can be added to the system 100 by the retail handler 160-5 also.For example, the user 110 may give cash to the agent who enters a creditinto the payment enabler 170. The user 110 could further specify to theagent a receiver 130 who should get the money. A retail interface 180-4at the retail location 107 is used by the agent to indicate to thepayment enabler 170 that the money has been received from or by the user110, 130. Through a retail handler 160-5, a sender 110 could use theinternational payment system 100 without any knowledge of computers orwithout any debit/credit card or bank account. The retail interface180-4 is used at the retail location 107 to receive funds from theretail payout system 103.

[0036] Gift certificates are redeemed through one or more giftcertificate handlers 160-6. The gift certificate, for example, couldallow purchase of an auction item sing the online transfer system 190.In some cases the negotiable instrument is paid-out with a giftcertificate. The gift certificate can be limited to merchandise and/orservices from a single store or a group of stores. In some cases, thegift certificate is used only online by entering a code provided to thereceiver or could be printed for use in a bricks and mortar store. Cashequivalents such as Flooz™, formerly available from Flooz.com, couldalso be provided to the receiver 130.

[0037] As briefly discussed above, the ATM interface 180-1 allowsinteraction with the payment enabler 170. The user may 110, 130 or maynot have an affiliation with the ATM that is used to interface with thepayment enabler 170. Under this circumstance, the owner of the ATM maycharge the user a fee for this service. The user 110, 130 can receivecash from the payment enabler 170 or deposit cash into the paymentenabler 170 if the ATM is coupled to a bank handler 160-4. In any event,the ATM interface 180-1 can be used to interface with the paymentenabler 170 in the same way a user 110, 130 may interact through a webbrowser and computer 120 with the payment enabler 170. If the ATM has amagnetic stripe or smart card reader, this could be used by to avoidentering credit or debit card information manually for the paymentenabler 170 or could be used to read identification information from agovernment issued identity card, for example.

[0038] A kiosk interface 180-2 allows a user 110, 130 to interact withthe payment enabler 170, but typically does not allow adding or removingcash. The kiosk interface 180-2 may be a browser terminal available forgeneral use. Some embodiments may include a check or money order printerwith the kiosk interface 180-2 for removing money from the system 100.The kiosk interface 180-2 could be in a retail location 107 and linkedto the other systems in the retail location 107 such that a payout couldbe provided by other systems in the retail location 107.

[0039] An Internet interface 180-3 is typically implemented through aweb browser. The browser downloads web pages from the payment enabler170. The Internet interface could be hosted by the computer 120 of theuser 110, 130. Some embodiments could host the Internet interface on aportable device such as a wireless phone or personal digital assistant(PDA). The Internet interface 180-3 may also be used by the ATM, kioskand retail interfaces 180-1, 180-2, 180-4 in whole or in part. TheInternet interface 180-3 uses encryption for the link to the paymentenabler 170 in some embodiments.

[0040] The retail interface 180-4 allows for specialized interaction byan agent at the retail location 107. Agents typically have specialtraining and offer enhanced services over most interfaces 180 andhandlers 160. The agent can move money between senders 110 and receivers130. Also, the agent can pay-in and pay-out money from the paymentsystem 100. The retail interface 180-4 allows an agent to act on behalfof the user when manipulating the user's account. For security, theuser's password or PIN may be entered by the user during thismanipulation. Further, the agent may verify the identity of the receiver130 before disbursing the cash or negotiable instrument. In oneembodiment, a test question is provided by the sender 110 that thereceiver 130 must answer before payment is available to the payee 130.Passcodes or passwords could also be used or testing for obscureinformation such as the maiden name of the mother of the user.

[0041] Interaction with the payment enabler 170 may also be performedover a telephone 140 interfaced to the plain-old telephone system (POTS)155. The phone interface 180-5 provides voice prompts and recognizes theuser's touch-tone or speech recognized input. Enhanced interaction withthe phone interface 180-5 could be provided with wireless phones havingwireless access protocol (WAP) and/or browser graphical user interfaces(GUIs).

[0042] Referring next to FIG. 3, a block diagram of an embodiment of apayment enabler 170 is shown. This embodiment includes a paymentcontroller 304, payin handler interfaces 308, an auction interface 339,a payout network interface 337, a messaging function 316, an enablerinterface 320, a user database 324, a payment conversion function 328,an exchange rate database 332, and a billing function. This embodimentinterfaces with users 110, 130 using the Internet. The blocks of thisfigure may be arranged differently or have their functionality combinedor separated on various computers, systems and/or locations as is wellknown in the art.

[0043] The payment controller 304 manages operation of the paymentenabler 170. The intelligence of the payment controller 304 is shown asone block in FIG. 3, but could be spread out throughout the paymentenabler 170 through combination with other functions. Informationgathered from the users and transactions is stored by the paymentcontroller 304 in the user database 304. This information can be viewedand/or modified by the users through the enabler interface 320.

[0044] The enabler interface 320 and messaging function 316 are thecommunication mechanisms used by the payment enabler 170 and users 110,130. The enabler interface 320 includes a set of web pages for enteringinformation for transactions and viewing information about a user'saccount. These web pages may be viewed through the ATM interface 108-1,kiosk interface 180-2, Internet interface 180-3, and/or retail interface180-4 in various embodiments. Messages relating to the user accounts ortransactions are sent by the messaging function 316. This embodiment ofthe messaging function 316 uses e-mail, but other embodiments could usewireless pages, WAP messages, voice mail, instant messages, networkbroadcasts, or other means to contact the users.

[0045] The payout network interface 337 interacts with the retail payoutsystem 103 to make cash available to the payee 130 or send a negotiableinstrument to the payee 130. Various national banks are used to back thenegotiable instruments given to the payees 130. The payees 130 may be indifferent countries and/or use different currencies. The negotiableinstruments are printed by one or more retail locations 107 and mailedor couriered to the payee 130. A batch file of all the transactions fora particular day are uploaded by the payout network interface 337 to theretail payout system.

[0046] Funds are added to the payment enabler 170 by the payor 110 tofund the transaction by using a handler 160. These handlers 160 aremanipulated by the payin handler interfaces 308. These interfaces 308use the account information entered by the user and stored in the userdatabase 324 to draw funds to pay for the negotiable instrument and anyassociated fees. In this embodiment, the payor 110 is charged a flat feefor the negotiable instrument, but the payee 130 is charged for anycurrency conversion expenses. Other embodiments could assign these feesdifferently among the parties 110, 130. The billing function 312 tracksthe transactions and determines the fee amount and how that fee amountis applied.

[0047] The payee 130 can choose to receive funds in a particularcurrency and drawn on a bank with a specified nationality. After thefunds are received, an event is triggered or the funds are requested,these funds are converted and a service fee may be deducted. The paymentconversion function 328 queries the exchange rate database 332 when oneof these conversions is requested by the payment controller 304. Theexchange rate database 332 is updated daily or at some other frequencyto reflect changes in the currency markets. The rate may incorporate aservice fee in lieu of or in addition to any other fees. If the exchangerate is fixed when the funds are picked up or delivered to the user 130,the retail location 107 can query the payment conversion function 328and exchange rate database 332 through the payout network interface 337.

[0048] With reference to FIG. 4, a block diagram of an embodiment of anauction site 109 is shown. The auction site 109 works in concert withthe online transfer system 190 to allow gathering transaction detailsfrom the auction site 109. The auction site 109 includes an auction sitecontroller 404, an auction web interface 408, a user database 416, anauction database 412, and a payment enabler interface 420.

[0049] The auction site controller 404 manages the functions of theauction site 109. The auction web interface 408 allows interaction withinformation in the auction database 412 and user database 416. Both thesender and receiver 110, 130 interact with the auction web interface 408in their roles as buyer and seller of the auction item.

[0050] Information on auctions is stored in the auction database 412.Information such as prices, descriptions and terms are stored in theauction database 412. Through the payment enabler interface 420 theinformation in the auction database 412 is accessible to the paymentenabler. For transaction identification or other purposes, theinformation from the auction database 412 is retrieved and shown to thepayor 110 and payee 130.

[0051] Any account information on the sender and receiver 110, 130 forthe auction site 109 is stored in the user database 416. Information inthis database 416 includes demographic information. This demographicinformation can be used to determine or verify names, addresses, e-mailaddresses, shipping preferences, etc.

[0052] When the sender or receiver 110, 130 complete an auction, theauction web interface 408 can hands them off to the transfer system 190to arrange payment. A link in the auction listing can provide themechanism to hand of the user. The enabler interface 420 facilitates thecommunication between the auction site 109 and the transfer system 190such that the user 110, 130 is provided with a seamless experience. Userinformation is passed by the payment enabler interface 420 to theauction interface 339 of the transfer system 190. Through that samepathway, information on clearing of payment is provided to the auctionsite 109. The auction site can track payment for updating status for thebuyers 110 and sellers 130.

[0053] Status information on the progress of the auction item shippingand the clearing of funds can be found either on a shippers trackingsite or the auction site 109. The status information can be gathered bythe auction site 109 or payment enabler 170. For example, shippingstatus, tracking status, return information, payment delivery, paymentredemption, cash payout, and handlers refusing payment could bedisplayed by auction site 109 and/or payment enabler 170.

[0054] With reference to FIG. 5, a block diagram of an embodiment of aretail payout system 103 is shown. Included in the retail payout system103 are a batch interface 508, a retail payout controller 504, atransaction database 512, a user database 516, and a retail locationinterface 520. Generally, the retail payout system 103 receivesinstructions from the payment enabler 170 to make funds available at theretail locations 107 or to mail a negotiable instrument from one of theretail locations 107. The agent and/or payee 130 interact with theretail payout system 103 at a retail location 107 to retrieve thepayout.

[0055] Only one interface to the payment enabler 170 and other users ofthe retail payout system 103 is shown. More specifically, only the batchinterface 508 is depicted, but other embodiments could include a webinterface, dedicated link or other connection types to allow funds to bemade available at the retail locations 107. The batch interface 508receives a file from the payment enabler 170 that includes informationon one or more transfers. The file is protected with encryption or aprotected data channel. Authentication is used to confirm the paymentenabler 170 is actually sending the file. The retail payout system 103will charge the payment enabler as any transfers are redeemed, as thetransfers are received or according to some other business terms.

[0056] The retail payout controller 504 manages the operation of theretail payout system 103. Transaction related information is stored in atransaction database 512. The status of redemption and clearing of thesetransactions is also stored in the transaction database 512. Clearingstatus can be relayed from the payment enabler 170 to the retail payoutsystem 103. Auction information can be relayed from the auction site 109to the payment enabler 170 to the retail payout system 103. Identity anddemographic information on the payee 130 is stored in the user database516. Communication with the retail locations 107 passes through theretail location interface 520.

[0057] With reference to FIG. 6, a block diagram of an embodiment of aretail location 107 is shown. The retail location 107 can be used by thepayor 110 to initiate and/or fund a transaction and by the payee 130 toreceive and/or cash the negotiable instrument. In some embodiments, theretail locations can print and send negotiable instruments to a payee130. Also, any user can use the retail location 107 to manage theiraccounts with the payment enabler 170 and interact with the auction site109. Both the retail and kiosk interfaces 180-2, 180-4 are coupled to awide area network 604 that is coupled to the payment enabler 170. Theretail location 107 may be used as a retail handler 160-1 to acceptmoney in the form of check, money order, cash, gift certificate, etc.for funding a transaction. In this embodiment, the retail location 107is a physical store front.

[0058] The kiosk interface 180-2 is primarily intended for users tointeract with, and the retail interface 180-4 is primarily intended foran agent at the retail location to interact with in this embodiment. Insome embodiments, both the kiosk and retail interfaces 180-2, 180-4 areused to perform a transfer. For example, the agent may use the retailinterface 180-4 to perform the transfer while the kiosk interface 180-2is used to monitor the agent's actions and enter a password or PIN thatis kept secret from the agent. The kiosk interface 180-2 may also beused to perform a complete transfer in circumstances where the user 110,130 is trained to use the system 100, but does not utilize otherinterfaces 180 for whatever reason.

[0059] The retail interface 180-4 and kiosk interface 180-2 can output anegotiable instrument with a printer 612. The payee 130 or agent can usethe printer when an in-person pick-up of the negotiable instrument isdesired by the payee 130. In some embodiments, each interface 180-2,180-4 may have a separate printer. The printer 612 may also be used toprint receipts and messages related to the sending of a negotiableinstrument.

[0060] Money can be added to or removed from the payment enabler 170 atthe retail location 107 with various money distribution devices 608,616, 620. In the conventional manner, cash can be received by the cashregister, credit or debit cards and be debited by the card terminal 608,and checks can be confirmed with a check validation terminal 620. Cashcan be paid out from the cash register 616 or added to a credit or debitcard by the card terminal 608 in a conventional fashion. These moneydistribution devices 608, 616, 620 all interface with the system 100 byway of the retail interface 180-4 such that pay-outs and pay-ins can beautomatically recorded by the payment enabler 170. Other embodiments mayonly accept credit or debit cards to fund a transaction and may notallow printing or cashing of the negotiable instrument at the retaillocation.

[0061] Referring next to FIG. 7A, a flow diagram of an embodiment of aprocess 700 for paying a payee 130 for a transaction with funds is shownthat may be in a currency different from the one used by the payor 110and may involve a negotiable instrument drawn on a bank in anothercountry. In this embodiment, a negotiable instrument is produced or cashis available for pickup after each transaction. The depicted portion ofthe process begins in step 702 where a new payee may open an accountwith the payment enabler 170 if no account has previously beenconfigured with the payment enabler 170. During any account creation,the payee 130 may specify preferences to the payment enabler 170 whichwould include currency and nationality of the negotiable instrument,payment address, e-mail address, preferred retail location for pickup,etc. Where no information is specified by the payee 130, the paymentenabler 170 presumes the currency and nationality of the negotiableinstrument is the same as the address of payor 110. Fees may be involvedwith conversion of payments to a different currency and nationality ofthe negotiable instrument such that assent to these fees is performed bythe payee 130 before this service is available.

[0062] In step 708, the parties agree to use the payment enabler 170 forthe payment of an auction item. Of course, this agreement could occurbefore the payee 130 opens a new account in step 702. A button in theauction listing could facilitate choosing the payment enabler 170 forthe payment. In step 712, the payor 110 contacts the payment enabler 170to configure the payment. Payee preferences are retrieved to determinethe default options to use for the payee 130 when sending payment instep 713. Delivery address, retail location pickup, currency, andnationality of any negotiable instrument are retrieved in step 713 fromthe user database 324 in the payment enabler 170.

[0063] Notifications are sent to the payor 110 and payee 130 in step715. In this embodiment, the notifications are different, but they couldbe the same in other embodiments. The e-mail message to the seller/payee130 includes an identifier of the auction listing, an amount for paymentof the auction, any fee associated with the service, links to thepayment enabler to change preferences, shipping information for thepayor/buyer 110, and other information. In this embodiment, the payee130 pays a fee for the ability to pickup cash at a retail location or toreceive a negotiable instrument with a currency and/or nationalitydifferent from the payor 110. Another e-mail message is sent to thebuyer/payor 110 which includes an identifier of the auction listing, anamount paid for the auction item, any fee associated with the service,links to change preferences, contact information of the seller, andother information. In this embodiment, the payor 110 pays a fee forusing the payment enabler 170. The payor 110 can send a negotiableinstrument to a payee 130 in the same country as the payor 110 for thisfee. The preferences in the e-mail message to the payor 110 indicate thepayin handler 160 that will be used and an identifier of the accountthat will be used with that payin handler 160.

[0064] In this embodiment, the debit to the payin handler and thesending of money is not performed for a period of time, such as the nextday. The payor 110 can modify the default payin handler 160 that will beused and the payee 130 can modify the default payout mechanism for someperiod of time. For example, the payor 110 can change the payin handler160 and payee 130 can change the delivery mechanism at any time beforethe payor account is charged which happens in this embodiment when thenegotiable instrument is mailed or when the cash or negotiableinstrument is picked-up. Other embodiments could tie the ability tochange these preferences to an arbitrary time after the e-mail messagesare sent, after the transaction is passed to the retail payout system103, after the payor 110 specifies the payment to the payment enabler170, or some other event.

[0065] In step 716, a determination is made as to the currency andnationality of the payor 110 and payee 130. In certain cases, thecurrency may be the same (e.g., Euro), but the parties may be indifferent European Union countries such that the payee 130 would prefera negotiable instrument drawn on a bank in the payee's same country.Where either currency or nationality of the negotiable instrument isdifferent, processing proceeds to step 720 where the preference of thepayee 130 is determined. In step 724, a service fee is applied to thepayee's payout. The fee may be split into one fee for differentcurrencies in the case of a negotiable instrument or cash pickup andanother fee for the case of a negotiable instrument with a differentnationality than the payor 110.

[0066] Although the payee 130 can specify preferences for the currencyand bank nationality in this embodiment, other embodiments may workdifferently. For example, the payee 130 may only be able to specify thecurrency to use. A default bank for that currency would issue the check.That default bank may or may not have the same nationality of the payee130. Where there is a choice of bank nationalities for a currency, thepayee 130 may be given a choice and/or the system may have a defaultchoice corresponding to the payee's nationality. In another example, thepayee 130 may specify only the bank nationality that should issue thecheck. A default currency would be used for the check. Where the issuingbank supports multiple currencies, the payee 130 could override adefault to specify one of the optional currencies.

[0067] In step 728, the currency is exchanged by the payment conversionfunction 328 of the payment enabler 170. In some embodiments, the retailpayout system 103 may have a payment conversion capability that is usedinstead. Yet other embodiments could simply charge the handler 160 inthe target currency without conversion where the handler 160 supportsvarious currencies. The payout information is transferred to theappropriate payout system 336 in step 732. Processing also continues tostep 732 from step 716 where the currency and nationality of thenegotiable instrument is the same for both payor 110 and payee 130.

[0068] The payee 130 back in step 713 or the payor 110 in step 712 couldhave indicated that the payee 130 would pick-up the negotiableinstrument and/or cash at a specific or any retail location 107. In step734, a determination is made as to whether a retail location pick-up isdesired by the payee 130. Where sending the negotiable instrument to thepayee 130 is desired, the instrument is printed and sent by the payoutsystem 103 and/or retail locations 107 in step 736 to a provided addressof the payee 130. Alternatively, the payee 130 may request thenegotiable instrument or cash in step 735 where a retail locationpick-up is specified. Authentication of the payee 130 is performed andthe funds are paid to the payee 130 in step 737. Regardless of how thenegotiable instrument or cash is received, an e-mail is sent to theparties in step 742 to indicate successful payment for the listing.Status with the rest of the international payment system 100 is updatedto reflect the payout of the funds.

[0069] With reference to FIG. 7B, a flow diagram of an embodiment of aprocess 750 for paying a payee 130 for a transaction is shown where thepayout may be aggregated until a triggering event. There are two typesof events that may trigger payouts, namely, temporal events and monetaryevents. Temporal events could be a time period, a calendar date or aspecified day in a month and monetary events could be reaching a certainthreshold credit amount. In some cases a temporal event and a monetaryevent must be satisfied. For example, a negotiable instrument is issuedif the balance exceeds $500 at the fifteenth day of the month. Reducingthe payouts may reduce the number of fees charged in this embodiment.

[0070] The process 750 of FIG. 7B is largely the same as the process 700of FIG. 7A, except that a payout triggering step 740 is added after step728. Also, the service fee step 724 is performed after a payout istriggered in step 740 rather than with each transfer. The conversionsare performed either on each transfer or after a payout is triggered instep 740. The service fee applied in step 724 could be for each payoutand/or each transfer. For example, a payout fee could be $5 with a $2fee for each transaction in that payout.

[0071] Referring next to FIG. 8, a flow diagram of an embodiment of aprocess 712 for initiating payment with the payment enabler 170 isshown. In this embodiment, the payee may or may not have an account withthe payment enabler 170. Some embodiments could start with a step 702that would open an account for the payor 110 where none existed suchthat each payor 110 of that process would have an account. Where thereis an existing account, the payor 110 may have some fields prepopulatedwith information about the payee. The depicted portion of the processbegins in step 805 where the payor 110 enters an amount for the payout.The amount could include separate amounts for the auction item, theshipping, the insurance, the tax, or the handling. The payment enabler170 may reject amounts that are too large or too small based upon whatis known about the pricing from the auction site 109.

[0072] Information about the auction item listing are entered in step812 so that details can be retrieved. This information will be shown instatus fields when the parties review their account history, may be usedin various status e-mails and may be printed on the negotiableinstrument or cash receipt. The information on the auction site andlisting is retrieved in step 814. This information may be presented tothe payor 110 for verification before allowing the payor 110 tocontinue. In step 816, information on the payee 130 is entered, such asan identifier. This embodiment uses an e-mail address as an identifier,but an identifier used by the auction site could be used or any otherunique identifier.

[0073] If an account can be found in the user database 324 for the payee130 in step 820, delivery preference information is retrieved from thatdatabase 324 in step 822. This preference information includes deliverymethod, delivery address, currency, and drawee nationality. Where anaccount cannot be located in step 820, the payor 110 enters the address,currency, and drawee nationality for the payee 130 in step 824. If thepayor 110 does not know the nationality of the payee 130, thenationality of the payor 110 is presumed for the payee 130. In step 825,the payor 110 can enter or modify the delivery method for the paymentregardless of whether the payee 130 has an account. In some embodiments,the payee 130 could specify that the delivery method and otherpreferences cannot be modified by the payor 110. The payor 110 cancomplete the depicted portion of the process 712 by accepting the termspresented for verification in step 832.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 9, a flow diagram of an embodiment of a process702 for configuring a user with an account for the online transfersystem 190 is shown. Where the receiver 130 or sender 110 is notexternal to the system, an account with the payment enabler 170 iscreated using this process 702. The depicted portion of the process 702begins in step 904 where the user 110, 130 enters an e-mail address asthe unique identifier for the account. The user 110, 130 may want toenter any other e-mail addresses that are aliases of the user and thatmay be used by counter parties to a transaction. Other embodiments coulduse any unique identifier for the user 110, 130.

[0075] Once an e-mail address is given to the payment enabler 170, it isverified. A message is sent to the e-mail address in step 908. A code isprovided and an URL such that the user can click on the URL to load apage where the code is entered to verify the e-mail address. In thisembodiment, the code is a randomly generated set of alphanumericcharacters. Other embodiments could use any number of methods to verifythe e-mail address.

[0076] The user 110, 130 enters contact information in step 912. Thiscontact information could include address, phone number, pager address,instant message address, wireless phone address, contact e-mail address,etc. The country of payout and currency are specified in step 913 and915. Any payout triggers that serve to aggregate payouts are specifiedin step 917. In step 916, the user enters handler interface information.For example, the user might enter credit card information and banktransfer information. In step 920, the information is verified with thehandler 160 to the extent possible for that handler 160. In step 924,the process 612 can loop back to step 916 for entering and verifyingadditional handlers.

[0077] In step 928, a default paying handler 160 and a default payoutmechanism can be chosen for transferring money into and out of thesystem 100. In step 932, the payment enabler 170 waits for verificationat least one of the e-mail addresses before activating the account forsending and receiving money with that e-mail address in step 936.

[0078] A number of variations and modifications of the invention canalso be used. For example, the payment enabler could be integrated intothe auction site. With the embodiment of FIG. 7B, the service feeapplied in step could be scaled per negotiable instrument or per paymentreceived from a payor. In some of the above embodiments, the negotiableinstrument is mailed, couriered, or otherwise sent to the payee, or madeavailable for pick-up by the payee at a bank or retail location. Inother embodiments, negotiable instrument could take the form of anelectronic transfer to a bank account of a different nationality thanthe payor or in a currency different than the currency of the payor.

[0079] Although some of the above embodiments contemplate the payeehaving an account with the system, no account is needed in someembodiments. The payor can specify the target currency andidentification information for the payee. Once the payee authenticatesagainst the identification information, the payment can be received incash or as a negotiable instrument. If the payor specifies an address, anegotiable instrument can be mailed directly to the payee without theneed for an account for the payee.

[0080] While the principles of the invention have been described abovein connection with specific apparatuses and methods, it is to be clearlyunderstood that this description is made only by way of example and notas limitation on the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for paying for an auction item with anonline payment system by a payor to compensate a payee, the methodcomprising steps of: receiving payment information comprising at least apayee identifier, a first payment amount and an auction listingidentifier; debiting a money handler associated with the payor for atleast the first payment amount; making a second payment amount availableto the payee for pickup at one or more retail locations, wherein thesecond payment amount is related to the first payment amount.
 2. Themethod for paying for the auction item with the online payment system bythe payor to compensate the payee as recited in claim 1, wherein thepayor is associated with a first currency and the payee is associatedwith a second currency.
 3. The method for paying for the auction itemwith the online payment system by the payor to compensate the payee asrecited in claim 2, wherein the first and second currencies are thesame.
 4. The method for paying for the auction item with the onlinepayment system by the payor to compensate the payee as recited in claim1, wherein the first and second payment amounts vary by one or morefees.
 5. The method for paying for the auction item with the onlinepayment system by the payor to compensate the payee as recited in claim1, wherein the amount made available is at least partially embodied in anegotiable instrument.
 6. A computer-readable medium havingcomputer-executable instructions for performing thecomputer-implementable method for paying for the auction item with theonline payment system by the payor to compensate the payee of claim 1.7. A method for paying for an item with an online payment system by apayor associated with a first currency to compensate a payee associatedwith a second currency, the method comprising steps of: receivingselection of the second currency for the online payment system to usewhen paying the payee; receiving payment information from one of thepayor and the payee comprising at least a payee identifier and a firstpayment amount; debiting a money handler associated with the payor forat least the first payment amount; determining a conversion ratiobetween the first and second currencies; making a second payment amountavailable to the payee for pickup at a retail location, wherein: thefirst currency is different from the second currency, and the secondpayment amount is related to the first payment amount.
 8. The method forpaying for the item with the online payment system by the payorassociated with the first currency to compensate the payee associatedwith the second currency as recited in claim 7, wherein the item wassold in an auction listing of an auction site.
 9. The method for payingfor the item with the online payment system by the payor associated withthe first currency to compensate the payee associated with the secondcurrency as recited in claim 7, wherein the payee does not have anaccount with the online payment system.
 10. The method for paying forthe item with the online payment system by the payor associated with thefirst currency to compensate the payee associated with the secondcurrency as recited in claim 7, wherein the first-listed receiving stepcomprises at least one of the following steps: receiving selection ofthe second currency from the payee; and receiving selection of thesecond currency from the payor.
 11. The method for paying for the itemwith the online payment system by the payor associated with the firstcurrency to compensate the payee associated with the second currency asrecited in claim 7, wherein debiting step comprises a step of debitingthe money handler in the first currency.
 12. The method for paying forthe item with the online payment system by the payor associated with thefirst currency to compensate the payee associated with the secondcurrency as recited in claim 7, wherein the first payment amount differswith respect to the second payment amount by a service fee.
 13. Themethod for paying for the item with the online payment system by thepayor associated with the first currency to compensate the payeeassociated with the second currency as recited in claim 7, furthercomprising a step of authenticating to an identity of the payee.
 14. Themethod for paying for the item with the online payment system by thepayor associated with the first currency to compensate the payeeassociated with the second currency as recited in claim 7, furthercomprising a step of determining if a triggering event has occurredbefore performing the making available step.
 15. The method for payingfor the item with the online payment system by the payor associated withthe first currency to compensate the payee associated with the secondcurrency as recited in claim 7, further comprising a step of making thesecond payment amount available to the payee for pickup at any of aplurality of retail locations.
 16. The method for paying for the itemwith the online payment system by the payor associated with the firstcurrency to compensate the payee associated with the second currency asrecited in claim 7, wherein the payee identifier is an e-mail addressassociated with the payee.
 17. The method for paying for the item withthe online payment system by the payor associated with the firstcurrency to compensate the payee associated with the second currency asrecited in claim 7, wherein the determining step is performed after thepayee requests the second payment amount at the retail location.
 18. Themethod for paying for the item with the online payment system by thepayor associated with the first currency to compensate the payeeassociated with the second currency as recited in claim 7, furthercomprising a step of notifying at least one of the payor and the payeein an electronic message that includes payment status.
 19. The methodfor paying for the item with the online payment system by the payorassociated with the first currency to compensate the payee associatedwith the second currency as recited in claim 7, wherein the payor islocated across a wide area network from the online payment system.
 20. Acomputer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions forperforming the computer-implementable method for paying for the itemwith the online payment system by the payor associated with the firstcurrency to compensate the payee associated with the second currency ofclaim
 7. 21. A method for paying for items with an online payment systemto compensate a payee for transactions with a plurality of payors, themethod comprising steps of: receiving selection of a payment currencyfor the online payment system to use in paying the payee; receivingfirst payment information, wherein the first payment informationcomprises a first payee identifier and a first payment amount; debitinga first money handler associated a first payor for at least the firstpayment amount in a first currency; receiving second paymentinformation, wherein the second payment information comprises a secondpayee identifier and a second payment amount, and wherein the firstpayee identifier and second payee identifier both correspond to thepayee and may be the same; debiting a second money handler associated asecond payor for at least the second payment amount in a secondcurrency, wherein the first and second money handlers may be the same;making available an amount in a currency at one or more retaillocations, wherein: the amount is equal to or larger than a sum of thefirst and second payment amounts minus any fees, and at least two of thecurrency, the first currency and the second currency are different,authenticating an identity of the payee.
 22. The method for paying foritems with the online payment system to compensate the payee fortransactions with the plurality of payors as recited in claim 21,further comprising a step of determining a triggering event issatisfied, wherein: the triggering event is at least one of an monetaryevent and a temporal event, and the making step is at least partially inresponse to the determining step.
 23. The method for paying for itemswith the online payment system to compensate the payee for transactionswith the plurality of payors as recited in claim 21, wherein themonetary event is a stored value associated with the payor reaching athreshold amount.
 24. The method for paying for items with the onlinepayment system to compensate the payee for transactions with theplurality of payors as recited in claim 21, wherein the temporal eventis chosen from a group consisting of: a time period; a calendar date;and a specified day of any month.
 25. The method for paying for itemswith the online payment system to compensate the payee for transactionswith the plurality of payors as recited in claim 21, wherein thetriggering event requires satisfaction of both the monetary and temporalevents.
 26. The method for paying for items with the online paymentsystem to compensate the payee for transactions with the plurality ofpayors as recited in claim 21, wherein the debiting step comprises astep of debiting one or more of a promotion handler, a credit cardhandler, a debit card handler, a bank handler, a retail handler, and agift certificate handler.
 27. A computer-readable medium havingcomputer-executable instructions for performing thecomputer-implementable method for paying for items with the onlinepayment system to compensate the payee for transactions with theplurality of payors of claim 21.